Treasures of Jaina Bhandaras

Author(s): Umakant P Shah, Dalsukh Malvania, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

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Treasures of Jaina Bhandaras
has recently come to light. It was temporarily brought in the L.D. Institute, Ahmedabad and was very soon returned to the owner monk in Pālitānā (Cat.411,p. 67). It belongs to Nemi Darśana Jñānšālā, Pālitāṇā, and being securely dated in V.S. 1439 = 1382 A.D., it is a very important document for the history of Jaina miniature paintings in Western India, for several reasons. Firstly there are as many as 50 illustrations; the earlier palm-leaf manuscript so far known, have not shown so many illustrations of Kalpa-sūtra and Kālaka-kathā. Secondly they are all of superior workmanship. Thirdly, they represent the style of an age when we begin to get more and more paper manuscripts replacing the practice of copying on palmleaves. We have illustrated some of these miniatures in figs.23-28 and colour plate III. Fig. G.H.I. It will be seen that there is very little outside influence, except in the treatment of landscape in fig. 26 showing Mahāvira meditating in the Kāyotsarga pose and in the depiction of mountain in figs, 25 and 27, Whereas trees in fig,26 are stylised, the tree in fig 25, is thin, sparsely lowered and with practically no foliage, bent like a semi-arch over Jina's figure. The bulls in fig,27 are vigorously drawn. Brush work is fine and minute details of textile designs and ornaments are shown even in the limited space of a palm-leaf miniature. Representation of Harinegameşin under a mandapa in fig, 28 is originl and sets a new pattern. Figures 23 and 24 are shown enlarged. They remind us, along with other miniatures of this manuscript, of the miniatures of the Idar palm-leaf Kalpa-sūtra referred to above. But miniatures of the Pālitānā Kalpa-sūtra are more refined and better drawn, so also do we find a better selection of colour tones. In neat and finer drawing and in beautiful colour scheme, these miniatures compare favourably with those of the palm-leaf miniatures of the Kalpa-sūtra from the collections of Ujamphoi Dharmaśālā, dated in 1370.32 Even the treatment of Nativity-the newly born Jina with his mother-or in the representation of the Samavasaraṇa, we find close parallel between the two Kalpa-sūtras.
In the Pālitāṇā Kalpa-sūtra, 33 human figures in various postures and actions show
3? Nawab, Jaina Citrakalpadruma, Vol.I., p.41, figs. 67-72, 79-81; Moti Chandra, Ibid., pp. 33-35, figs. 54-59; W. Norman Brown, Stylistic Varieties of Early Western Indian Painting, Journ. of the Indian Society of Oriental Art, Vol. V. p.4. **Unfortunately this writer had no opportunity to study the miniatures in the original as the ms. had to be returned very soon. The colour transparencies made available for study were of a poor quality though a full set of photographs was useful.
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